Last night I went to an event put on by the Institute of Environmental Systems & Sustainability
called “Conversations with Andrew Stanton”. Andrew is the VP of Pixar and has helped to write,
direct, create, and even voice movies such as Wall-E, Finding Nemo, and Finding Dory. These
three movies have a common trend: subtle environmental conservation stories, but told in different
forms. When Andrew Stanton was asked how does he use this medium of animation to tell the story
of the environment.
I thought he was going to go into how sustainability and issues like trash and
pollution seen in these movies was always a part of the creation of the movie but he didn’t. He
said he never focused on the message of take down consumerism or clean up our oceans, he
said he always just tried to find the story, and it just so happened that the story he wanted to tell
about love needed certain environmental factors in order to be told. He needed Wall-E to be
the last robot on Earth, which meant Earth had to become inhabitable. Stanton said all he could
do was to make people care the characters because afterwards, people will always hope that
world is around afterwards. Nemo was never about the ocean, but because we cared so much
about the characters, people wanted to ocean to continue to thrive.
called “Conversations with Andrew Stanton”. Andrew is the VP of Pixar and has helped to write,
direct, create, and even voice movies such as Wall-E, Finding Nemo, and Finding Dory. These
three movies have a common trend: subtle environmental conservation stories, but told in different
forms. When Andrew Stanton was asked how does he use this medium of animation to tell the story
of the environment.
 |
| Andrew Stanton |
I thought he was going to go into how sustainability and issues like trash and
pollution seen in these movies was always a part of the creation of the movie but he didn’t. He
said he never focused on the message of take down consumerism or clean up our oceans, he
said he always just tried to find the story, and it just so happened that the story he wanted to tell
about love needed certain environmental factors in order to be told. He needed Wall-E to be
the last robot on Earth, which meant Earth had to become inhabitable. Stanton said all he could
do was to make people care the characters because afterwards, people will always hope that
world is around afterwards. Nemo was never about the ocean, but because we cared so much
about the characters, people wanted to ocean to continue to thrive.
 |
| Analyzing a clip from Finding Nemo |
I thought the product of using the medium of advanced computer technology and computer graphics to
enhance the art of storytelling was really interesting because it allows the stories that are being told to be
changed into something more complex and can delve into heavier issues (Stanton). Animation has drastically changed
since the 1960s when cartoons were hand drawn and only told stories of fairy tales/musicals. The first CGI
movie was released in 1976 (De Semlyen), and since then the world of storytelling has been drastically reconstructed
to the numerous Pixar, Disney, and Marvel/DC movies we know today. Now many movies are so realistic. The added
life-like qualities of films have helped film makers and story tellers believe not only the story but the underlying
message of the story as well. While the process of designing and producing these naturalistic creatures and backgrounds
seems complex and incomprehensible to non-computer engineers, it actually uses the very basic math and art principles
we have discussed in this class.
The art of creating photorealistic characters requires a lot of attention to skin shading, texture, motion, and movement
which requires knowledge of geometry. The use of mathematical theories such as the golden ratio, optics, and symmetry
in the drawings plays a crucial role in creating more realistic characters and the environments they live in. For example,
when making scenes for the characters to live/interact in, animators use the rule converging lines, which is composed
of orthogonal, the horizon line, and a vanishing point when creating scenes in a linear perspective (Blumberg). By
putting together computer technology, art concepts, and mathematical theories, people have been able to transform
stories through the new medium of CGI.
enhance the art of storytelling was really interesting because it allows the stories that are being told to be
changed into something more complex and can delve into heavier issues (Stanton). Animation has drastically changed
since the 1960s when cartoons were hand drawn and only told stories of fairy tales/musicals. The first CGI
movie was released in 1976 (De Semlyen), and since then the world of storytelling has been drastically reconstructed
to the numerous Pixar, Disney, and Marvel/DC movies we know today. Now many movies are so realistic. The added
life-like qualities of films have helped film makers and story tellers believe not only the story but the underlying
message of the story as well. While the process of designing and producing these naturalistic creatures and backgrounds
seems complex and incomprehensible to non-computer engineers, it actually uses the very basic math and art principles
we have discussed in this class.
The art of creating photorealistic characters requires a lot of attention to skin shading, texture, motion, and movement
which requires knowledge of geometry. The use of mathematical theories such as the golden ratio, optics, and symmetry
in the drawings plays a crucial role in creating more realistic characters and the environments they live in. For example,
when making scenes for the characters to live/interact in, animators use the rule converging lines, which is composed
of orthogonal, the horizon line, and a vanishing point when creating scenes in a linear perspective (Blumberg). By
putting together computer technology, art concepts, and mathematical theories, people have been able to transform
stories through the new medium of CGI.
 |
| me at the event |
I really enjoyed this event because it was both interesting to me as a environment major, as a human, and
as a child who grew up watching these movies. I would recommend my classmates to attend this event or
watch Andrew Stanton’s TedTalk about storytelling.
as a child who grew up watching these movies. I would recommend my classmates to attend this event or
watch Andrew Stanton’s TedTalk about storytelling.
Sources:
Stranton, Andrew. "The Clues to a Great Story." TedTalks, 2012, www.ted.com/talks/
andrew_stanton_the_clues_to_a_great_story. Accessed 15 May 2018.
andrew_stanton_the_clues_to_a_great_story. Accessed 15 May 2018.
De Semlyen, Phil. "A History of CGI in the Movies." Empire Movies, 17 Dec. 2010,
www.empireonline.com/movies/features/history-cgi/. Accessed 15 May 2018.
"Photorealistic Characters." Unreal Engine, docs.unrealengine.com/en-us/Resources/Showcases/
PhotorealisticCharacter.
Stanton, Andrew. "Animation and Environment: A Conversation with Andrew Stanton." CNSI Auditorium,
14 May 2018, UCLA. Lecture.
Vesna, Victoria. “Math + Art.” Lecture 2.
Blumberg, Naomi. "Linear Perspective." Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/art/
linear-perspective.
Comments
Post a Comment